UK Statutory Sick - Chronicle Online Guide SSP

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): employer guide

Chronicle responses in Red

 Eligibility and form SSP1

 To qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) employees must:

• have an employment contract – Stored in Chronicle
• have done some work under their contract – Hour worked in Chronicle will confirm this
• have been sick for 4 or more days in a row (including non-working days) - known as a ‘period of incapacity for work’ – Recorded in Chronicle as a Sick Paid or Unpaid
• earn an average of at least £118 per week – Stored in Chronicle
• give you the correct notice – Stored in Notes
• give you proof of their illness, only after 7 days off – Recorded in Documents in Chronicle, an exception alerting users to 7 days of sick is also raised.
• Employees who start self-isolating after 13 March 2020 because someone they live with has coronavirus (COVID-19) also qualify for SSP if they meet the other criteria.

Employees who have been paid less than 8 weeks of earnings still qualify for SSP. Use the sick pay calculator to work out how much to pay them. – Do this manually

An employee’s period of incapacity for work is not interrupted if they take annual leave during that time. TBC

Employees can qualify for sick pay from more than one job. N/A

They could also qualify in one job but be fit for work in another, for example if one job is physical work that they cannot do while ill but the other is office-based. N/A

Exceptions

Employees do not qualify for SSP if they:

• have received the maximum amount of SSP (28 weeks) Chronicle will stop you overbooking at the 28 week or 196th day.
• are getting Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance - there are special rules for pregnant women and new mothers who do not get these payments. Do this manually
• are off work for a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before the week (Sunday to Saturday) that their baby is due. Do this manually
• were in custody or on strike on the first day of sickness (including any linked periods). Do this manually
• are working outside the EU and you’re not liable for their National Insurance contributions. Do this manually
• received Employment and Support Allowance within 12 weeks of starting or returning to work for you. Do this manually
• Use the SSP calculator to check eligibility. Do this manually

Linked periods of sickness

If your employee has regular periods of sickness, they may count as ‘linked’. To be linked, the periods must:

• last 4 or more days each – Chronicle has logic to stop SSP being allocated if 4-day rule has not been met
• be 8 weeks or less apart – Chronicle has logic to count linked periods of sick

Your employee is no longer eligible for SSP if they have a continuous series of linked periods that lasts more than 3 years.TBC

If an employee is not eligible or their SSP ends

Employees may be able to apply for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). They use form SSP1 to support their application.

If your employee’s SSP is ending you must send them form SSP1 either:

• within 7 days of their SSP ending, if it ends unexpectedly while they’re still sick

on or before the beginning of the 23rd week, if their SSP is expected to end before their sickness does. Do this manually

• If your employee does not qualify for SSP you must send them form SSP1 within 7 days of them going off sick. Do this manually

• If your employee thinks this is unfair, they can appeal to HMRC - the form tells them how to do this. N/A

Long-term illness

You can complete form SSP1 before the end of SSP if you know an employee will be off sick for more than 28 weeks. This means they can apply for ESA before their SSP comes to an end. Do this manually